Aircraft waste bin extractor

ABSTRACT

An aircraft galley waste bin extraction unit is disclosed having a first compartment formed by a plurality of walls that conform with walls of the waste bin, an extraction chamber adjoining the first compartment and sharing a common wall, and a platform within the common wall including a hinged bottom edge that allows the platform to pivot into a horizontal position against a rest on an extraction chamber side wall, the deploying of the platform forming a window through which the waste bin can pass through from the first compartment to the extraction chamber. The unit preferably also includes retractable ramp extendable from the platform to a ground surface to guide the waste bin from the extraction unit to the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/534,198, filed Sep. 13, 2011 incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

Designers of aircraft galleys are continuously striving to make theworking space of the galley both safe and efficient while preserving theoverall objectives of weight reduction and effective space management.Every aspect of the galley is evaluated for compliance with theseprinciples while focusing on utility and personnel safety. All equipmentmust be adequately secured to prevent the equipment from moving ordislodging during flight, and every effort must be made to make theequipment easily accessible. One example of equipment that must besecurely stowed and readily accessible is the galley waste bin that isused to collect and store waste from the flight. In some cases wastebins can hold over thirty (30) kilograms of waste, making it necessaryto store it safely. However, the bin also must be capable of being movedeasily if it needs to be emptied during the flight. The waste bin istypically kept in a waste bin compartment that includes some openingthat allows a flight attendant to place rubbish and waste into the bin.When the bin needs to be emptied, the flight attendant reaches into thecompartment and lifts the bin out so that it can be emptied.

Lifting and maneuvering such a heavy object, typically stowed in thelower half of a compartment, can lead to back strain as well as otherinjuries for flight attendants tasked with emptying the bins. Moreover,the waste bin must be rigidly secured to prevent the bin from shiftingduring flight (and to avoid annoying rattling of the bin due tovibration). Present solutions are unacceptable as they make theextraction of the bin difficult and present a safety concern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a waste bin and compartment extractorarrangement that provides a secure holding area for the waste bin, butwhere a side wall conveniently drops down to form a platform from whichthe bin can be easily moved from its enclosure and slid/rolled down aramp to easily remove the bin for emptying.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a waste bin of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the waste bin of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of a first preferred embodimentof the bin and extractor of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an elevated perspective view of the bin and extractor of FIG.3 with the floor extended;

FIG. 5 is an elevated perspective view of the bin and extractor of FIG.3 with the ramp deployed;

FIG. 6 is another elevated perspective view of the bin and extractor ofFIG. 3 with the ramp deployed;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the waste bin moving down the ramp; and

FIG. 8 is a view of the extractor after the bin has been removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary waste bin 10 of the type used withthe present invention, having first and second main orthogonal walls 12a,b, first and second short walls 14 a, 14 b, and a traverse wall 16connecting the two short walls. The bin 10 further includes a floor 18that is preferable fitted with wheels or castors 20 that allow the binto be rolled along a smooth surface. The first and second main walls 12a,b can include apertures or, more preferably, recesses 22 that serve ashandles for better grasping of the bin 10. The five walls 12 a, 12 b, 14a, 14 b, 16 form a diamond shape (top view) reminiscent of a home platein baseball, although the shape is not essential to the invention andmany other shapes will work with the present invention. The compartment24 can also be formed with a small ramp 84 (see FIG. 8) that is inclinedaway from the fifth wall 32 such that the bin 10 will lean into thecompartment 24 and against walls 34 a,b and 36 to support the bin andprevent rattling.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the bin 10 in a designated storage compartment24 that is shown with one wall removed for clarity. The compartment 24is open at the top so that waste may be deposited in the bin 10 throughan opening 26 in the compartment. The compartment 24 is shaped toconform with the exterior surfaces of the bin 10, including acompartment traverse wall 36 aligned and adjacent to the bin traversewall 16, first and second compartment short walls 34 a,b correspondingto the respective bin short walls 14 a,b, and a first main wall (notshown) aligned with and adjacent the bin main wall 12 b. This allows thebin 10 to be surrounded inside the housing to prevent or reduce rattlingof the bin 10 during flight.

The compartment 24 includes a fifth wall 32 adjacent to the bin's mainwall 12 a that is also part of a larger secondary structure, namely anextraction chamber for extracting the bin 10. The wall 32 is formed witha draw bridge type swinging platform 50 that extends downward from thewall 32 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The swinging platform 50 is connectedby one or more hinges 52 along a lower surface that allows the platform50 to deploy into a horizontal position (FIG. 4). In the horizontalposition, the platform 50 is substantially co-planer with the floor 22of the compartment 24 to form a smooth horizontal transition from thecompartment 24 to the extraction chamber, whereby the waste bin 10 canroll smoothly between the compartment 24 and the extraction chamberwithout lifting the bin and with minimal effort. The extraction chamberis formed by a rear wall 60 and an orthogonal side wall 62 along withthe adjoining fifth wall 32 of the compartment.

When the platform 50 is lowered, the void in the wall 32 forms a windowthrough which the bin 10 can pass through. The width of the window issufficient to accommodate the waste bin 10 plus a few inches on eachside. The fifth wall 32 can also include tabs 86 that maintain theplatform in a vertical orientation, and can be rotated away from theplatform to release the platform 50 so that it can rotate to itshorizontal position. Other securing mechanisms can also be used toprevent the platform 50 from inadvertently dropping into the extractioncompartment. To support the platform 50 and the bin 10, the side wall 62of the extraction compartment may include supports 64 that can extendout of the wall, or alternative a ledge or dowel affixed to the sidewall 62 will work to help stabilize the platform 50 and prevent it frombowing or dipping when the heavy bin 10 is transferred thereto.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, a ramp or set of rails 70 is extended from a retractedposition in the platform 50 to form a slide from the edge of theplatform 50 to the ground on which the waste bin 10 can ride to theground. The ramp or rails 70 in a first embodiment can be held in a slotin the platform 50 for easy extension and reinsertion, although the rampmay be secured in other manners or operate as a separate component thatis attached when needed. With the ramp 70 extended from the platform 50to the ground as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the waste bin 10 can be sliddown the ramp 70 from the extraction compartment to the ground as shownin FIGS. 7 and 8. The ramp 70 may include an up-turned distal end 72 todecelerate the waste bin 10 before it reaches the end of the ramp as asafety precaution.

The present invention can be modified in a number of ways, and one ofordinary skill in the art would readily understand and appreciatevarious modifications within the scope of the present invention. Thus,the scope of the present invention should not be limited to anydepiction or description herein, but rather the scope of the inventionshould include all such modifications and alternate embodiments.Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the words of the appendedclaims, using the common and ordinary meanings of the words therein.

We claim:
 1. An aircraft galley waste bin extraction unit comprising: afirst compartment having a plurality of walls that conform with walls ofthe waste bin; an extraction chamber adjoining the first compartment andsharing a common wall, and further including a rear wall and a sidewall, the side wall having a rest; a platform within the common wallincluding a hinged bottom edge that allows the platform to pivot into ahorizontal position against said rest on the extraction chamber sidewall, the deploying of the platform forming a window through which thewaste bin can pass through from the first compartment to the extractionchamber; and a retractable ramp extendable from the platform to a groundsurface.
 2. The aircraft galley waste bin extraction unit of claim 1,wherein the ramp comprises a pair of rails that extend from within theplatform.
 3. The aircraft galley waste bin extraction unit of claim 2,wherein the ramp includes an upturned distal end adjacent the groundwhen extended from the platform.
 4. The aircraft galley waste binextraction unit of claim 1, wherein the common wall includes tabs tohold the platform in a vertical position.
 5. The aircraft galley wastebin extraction unit of claim 1, wherein the first compartment includes aramp for directing the waste bin away from the common wall.
 6. Theaircraft galley waste bin extraction unit of claim 1, further comprisinga waste bin having casters on a bottom surface that allow the bin toroll along a smooth horizontal surface.